Mitchell's Revenge

Summary: Everything changes when pilot Lucy Savage crashes off EQ2. A software problem and a kidnapping by the Intergalactic Mafia set Lucy and her panther partner Em on a dangerous rescue mission.

Spacecraft Testing course, Karhu System

The nose of the small spacecraft
jerked upwards and the craft disappeared. The second craft shot past the
wormhole mouth, then came to a stop and hovered. The pilot waited for
instructions.

“He’s done it again!” shouted Lauri.
“If he doesn’t move left before he reaches the wormhole he’s going to get
thrown back to the beginning of the course every time!”

The technicians in the control room
were doubled over with laughter.

“That’s the fourth time today,”
said Lauri, nowhere nearly as amused as his technicians. “If he doesn’t get it
right this time I’m calling him in.”

Lucy’s voice came clearly over the
coms unit, “Do you want me to give it a try?”

“That’s a good idea,” replied Lauri.
“Come on in and swap ships with Jake. We’ll see if a another pilot makes any
difference.”

As Lauri spoke Jake’s spacecraft
popped back into view at the start of the course. He grabbed the coms unit and
shouted into it.

“Jake, listen to me! You have to pull left after the last pylon or
you’ll keep going straight into the wormhole. Do you hear me?”

Jake’s tired voice echoed into the
control centre. “Yes, I hear you. I
think there’s something wrong with the steering. It’s just not responding to me
and I keep going straight on. I’ll give it one more try and then come back in.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” asked
Lauri. “If you think there’s something wrong with it you’d better come back in
now and we’ll run some diagnostics on the system.”

“One more try,” responded Jake, determined
not to be the pilot who failed the testing run.

“OK,” replied Lauri, “When you come
back in, plug the diagnostics unit in. If it’s clear then swap with Lucy. Let’s
see if she has the same trouble.”

The craft began accelerating away
from the start line. Lauri watched anxiously from the viewing deck as it
skipped around the pylons, weaving left to right like a skier dancing down a
slalom course. The craft was responding well. Its sleek lines were designed
for optimum handling in space. And it could travel just as easily to the
surface of the planet below.

As he rounded the last pylon, Jake
slowed the craft and veered left, this time missing the wormhole mouth that had
catapulted him back to the start on the last run.

“That was weird,” Jake’s voice came
over the coms unit. “I didn’t slow down just then. The ship slowed itself. Weird.
As if it made the decision for me.”

Lauri laughed. “Yeah, right. A
sentient ship! Sure thing! Just get back in here and we’ll take a look
at what’s going on with it.”

Jake swung the craft around and
headed back towards the shipyard docking bays. The technician monitoring the
small crafts’ systems looked at Lauri.

“He’s right,” he said. “The craft
adjusted the speed itself. Look, right here.” He brought the display up on the
screen in front of him and they both looked at it in amazement.

“Better find Lucy, quickly. I’m not
letting another pilot into a ship that’s behaving that way.”

Lauri strode back to his control
panel. He glanced from the viewing deck and realised he was too late. Lucy was
already in Jake’s ship and accelerating towards the start of the course. Jake
appeared at the rear of the control centre, listening to the interchange
between the head of space design testing and his pilot.

“Lucy!” Lauri shouted over the coms
unit. “Stop! Right now!”

“Just one run Lauri,” she called
back to him. “The diagnostics were all clear. I’ll be right back!”

The craft accelerated towards the
first pylon and began its rhythmical dance. Lauri found he was holding his
breath. Every technician was glued to the viewing screen, watching Lucy
manoeuvre the craft gracefully through the course.

“She’s the best pilot we have,”
said Jake quietly, “be damned if I can fly like that!”

Lauri watched in horror as the
spacecraft plowed nose first into the last pylon on the course, sending the
magnetised beam spinning away into the vacuum. The impact slowed the crafts
speed, but the nose of the ship crumpled and a crack slithered across the
windscreen. Lucy was knocked unconscious. The spacecraft rotated lazily where
the pylon had been.

SandraHan1:
This story is very descriptive, with vivid scenes from the very beginning, which made for a good scene setting. I love the symbolism in names, such as “Naysayers”, “Hadd”, etc . The story itself is revolutionary, intriguing, emotional and exciting. I was very pleased to see that there is a happy ...

re8622:
The Last Exodus quickly grabbed my attention. Almost as soon as I started reading the story, I couldn't put it down. I found that the ideas the author put forth were very thought provoking given the turmoil we have seen gradually rise over the last several years. I felt that I could understand th...

Robert D. Stanley:
I really liked this story. The main character was very well fleshed out (so much so that I sometimes felt sorry for her friends with how little trust she had in them) and your descriptive writing was very good. There are, however a few points I'd like to critique.1. The dual PoVs were interesting...

Drew C. Elyon:
I've only read one chapter so far, but from what I've seen, this is steampunk at its best. The narrative flows so beautifully I could envision every scene in an almost cinematic fashion. I believe in the complexity of simplicity, and this story has that in its descriptions.

James Lawson:
I enjoyed this so much I immediately bought (and read) the sequel from Amazon.ca - and am eagerly awaiting the third installment.Since this is a review and not a synopsis, I'll share my impressions rather than write out a condensed version of the plot.There were enough plot twists and turns to ke...

NancyRichFoster:
This second book of the Anmah Series was as awesome as the first story, I disagree with spare runner. The names were ordinary names with different spellings, which I for one loved. I am now going to read the third book in this amazingly awesome story!

Ding Fernando:
very nice read.so realistic you can hardly put it down,i really like the character so human despite posessing immortality and eternal youth.though i would prefer a better ending..i still love this novel and i am recommending it to all sci fi fans to give it a try .you will love it too!!

sujitha nair:
What's so distinct about this story was that it could easily be real.Praveena can be your classmate, neighbor or that girl you saw at the coffee shop today. The important decisions she makes and the dilemmas she faces, remind us of our own twisted lives.

JWalker:
I loved this story from start to finish! It flows at a really nice pace and the story world feels so real. The fight sequences are a treat especially when Isanfyre is training to become a warrior. I found the names really cool and thankfully easy to pronounce. Personally I have always struggled w...

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